Consent authority (NSW council) (Council)

Determines development applications

For most development in NSW the local council is the consent authority: it receives the development application, assesses it on the merits, and grants or refuses consent.

Responsibilities

Receive and check development applications for lodgement
Notify neighbours and consider submissions
Assess the application against the relevant environmental planning instruments
Determine the application, or refer it to a local or regional panel

Operates under

Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW)

The consent authority is not always the elected council. Depending on the value and type of development it may be a local planning panel or a regional panel, and that distinction matters enormously for elapsed time: a panel that meets on a cycle introduces scheduling delay that an officer-delegated decision does not.

This is a case where the same legal question, asked of the same body, takes radically different amounts of calendar time depending only on who signs. It is exactly the kind of thing this database exists to make visible.

Where this body appears in a process

Every point at which Consent authority (NSW council) can hold something up, and why.

Process	Step	Why it waits	Clock	Typical
A childcare place is created where the market will not build one	Development approval decision	assessment	—	300
A social housing project funded under the Housing Australia Future Fund	Development approval decision	assessment	—	300
Build and open a residential aged care home — New South Wales	Lodge the development application application	applicant	—	5
Build and open a residential aged care home — New South Wales	Neighbour notification and submissions notification	statutory	14	21
Build and open a residential aged care home — New South Wales	Council assessment assessment	assessment	—	150
Build and open a residential aged care home — New South Wales	Determination decision	scheduling	—	45
Build a multi storey apartment building via the Housing Delivery Authority — New South Wales	Obtain the strata certificate certification	queue	—	60
Build a multi storey apartment building — New South Wales	Design review panel assessment	scheduling	—	45
Build a multi storey apartment building — New South Wales	Lodge the development application application	applicant	—	3
Build a multi storey apartment building — New South Wales	Pay the assessment fee fee	applicant	—	1
Build a multi storey apartment building — New South Wales	Lodgement and properly-made check assessment	queue	—	21
Build a multi storey apartment building — New South Wales	Public notification and submissions notification	statutory	28	28
Build a multi storey apartment building — New South Wales	Internal and external referrals referral	queue	—	70
Build a multi storey apartment building — New South Wales	Assessment against the planning rules assessment	assessment	—	120
Build a multi storey apartment building — New South Wales	Information request and amended plans assessment	applicant	—	90
Build a multi storey apartment building — New South Wales	Determination and issue of development consent decision	scheduling	—	45
Build a multi storey apartment building — New South Wales	Pay development contributions fee	applicant	—	14
Build a multi storey apartment building — New South Wales	Obtain the strata certificate certification	queue	—	60
Buy land and build a single storey house — New South Wales	Lodge the development application application	applicant	—	3
Buy land and build a single storey house — New South Wales	Pay the assessment fee fee	applicant	—	1
Buy land and build a single storey house — New South Wales	Lodgement and properly-made check assessment	queue	—	7
Buy land and build a single storey house — New South Wales	Neighbour notification notification	statutory	—	14
Buy land and build a single storey house — New South Wales	Internal and external referrals referral	third party	—	28
Buy land and build a single storey house — New South Wales	Assessment against the planning rules assessment	assessment	40	40
Buy land and build a single storey house — New South Wales	Information request and amended plans assessment	applicant	—	45
Buy land and build a single storey house — New South Wales	Determination and issue of development consent decision	assessment	—	10
Open a long day care centre — New South Wales	Lodge the development application application	applicant	—	5
Open a long day care centre — New South Wales	Neighbour notification and submissions notification	statutory	14	21
Open a long day care centre — New South Wales	Council assessment assessment	assessment	—	120
Open a long day care centre — New South Wales	Determination decision	scheduling	—	45
Household affected by a declared disaster obtains assistance and rebuilds	Development approval to rebuild decision	assessment	—	180
Build a single house — NSW, merit-assessed development application	Pre-lodgement advice application	scheduling	—	21
Build a single house — NSW, merit-assessed development application	Lodge the development application application	applicant	—	1
Build a single house — NSW, merit-assessed development application	Pay the assessment fee fee	applicant	—	1
Build a single house — NSW, merit-assessed development application	Lodgement and adequacy check assessment	queue	—	6
Build a single house — NSW, merit-assessed development application	Neighbour notification period notification	statutory	14	14
Build a single house — NSW, merit-assessed development application	Merit assessment by planning officer assessment	assessment	—	30
Build a single house — NSW, merit-assessed development application	Request for further information assessment	applicant	—	30
Build a single house — NSW, merit-assessed development application	Determination decision	scheduling	—	14
Build a block of townhouses — New South Wales	Lodge the development application application	applicant	—	3
Build a block of townhouses — New South Wales	Pay the assessment fee fee	applicant	—	1
Build a block of townhouses — New South Wales	Lodgement and properly-made check assessment	queue	—	14
Build a block of townhouses — New South Wales	Public notification and submissions notification	statutory	28	28
Build a block of townhouses — New South Wales	Internal and external referrals referral	queue	—	45
Build a block of townhouses — New South Wales	Assessment against the planning rules assessment	assessment	—	80
Build a block of townhouses — New South Wales	Information request and amended plans assessment	applicant	—	90
Build a block of townhouses — New South Wales	Determination and issue of development consent decision	scheduling	—	35
Build a block of townhouses — New South Wales	Pay development contributions fee	applicant	—	14
Build a block of townhouses — New South Wales	Obtain the subdivision certificate certification	queue	—	45